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A round robin exercise in archaeometry: analysis of a blind sample reproducing a seventeenth century pharmaceutical ointment

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Abstract

Chemical analysis of ancient residues of pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations such as balms or ointments is made problematic by the high complexity of these mixtures, composed of organic and inorganic materials. Consequently, a multi-analytical approach and special caution in the interpretation of the results are necessary. In order to contribute to the improvement of analytical strategies for the characterization of complex residues and to reconstruct ancient medical practices, a replica of a pharmaceutical formulation of the seventeenth century was prepared in the laboratory according to a historically documented recipe. In a round robin exercise, a portion of the preparation was analysed as a blind sample by 11 laboratories using various analytical techniques. These included spectroscopic, chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods. None of the laboratories was able to completely reconstruct the complex formulation, but each of them gave partial positive results. The round robin exercise has demonstrated that the application of a multi-analytical approach can permit a complete and reliable reconstruction of the composition. Finally, on the basis of the results, an analytical protocol for the study of residues of ancient medical and pharmaceutical preparations has been outlined.

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Acknowledgements

The Italian National PRIN2007 project and ABOCA s.p.a (Italy) are acknowledged for providing funds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Chimica, SCIBEC, Università di Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    M. P. Colombini, F. Modugno & M. Rocchi

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125, Modena, Italy

    M. C. Gamberini & C. Baraldi

  3. British Museum, Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, London, WC1B 3DG, UK

    T. Deviese & R. J. Stacey

  4. Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Ambiente e del Territorio, Università di Milano Bicocca, 20126, Milan, Italy

    M. Orlandi & F. Saliu

  5. Dipartimentodi Chimica IFM e NIS Centro di Eccellenza, Università degli Studi di Torino, 10124, Turin, Italy

    C. Riedo & O. Chiantore

  6. Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali, Microchemistry and Microscopy Art Diagnostic Laboratory (M2ADL), Università di Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy

    G. Sciutto & E. Catelli

  7. Dipartimento di Chimica, Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica, Politecnico di Milano, 20133, Milan, Italy

    L. Brambilla & L. Toniolo

  8. Istituto CNR-ISTM Perugia, 06123, Perugia, Italy

    C. Miliani & P. Rocchi

  9. LETIAM, IUT d’Orsay, 91400, Orsay, France

    J. Bleton

  10. Doerner Institut, 80799, Munich, Germany

    U. Baumer & P. Dietemann

  11. Università Ca‘Foscari Venezia, 30123, Venetia, Italy

    G. Pojana & S. Marras

Authors
  1. M. P. Colombini
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  2. F. Modugno
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  3. M. C. Gamberini
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  4. M. Rocchi
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  5. C. Baraldi
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  6. T. Deviese
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  7. R. J. Stacey
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  8. M. Orlandi
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  9. F. Saliu
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  10. C. Riedo
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  11. O. Chiantore
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  12. G. Sciutto
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  13. E. Catelli
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  14. L. Brambilla
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  15. L. Toniolo
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  16. C. Miliani
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  17. P. Rocchi
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  18. J. Bleton
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  19. U. Baumer
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  20. P. Dietemann
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  21. G. Pojana
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  22. S. Marras
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. P. Colombini.

Additional information

Published in the special issue Analycal Chemistry to Illuminate the Past with guest editor Maria Perla Colombini.

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Colombini, M.P., Modugno, F., Gamberini, M.C. et al. A round robin exercise in archaeometry: analysis of a blind sample reproducing a seventeenth century pharmaceutical ointment. Anal Bioanal Chem 401, 1847–1860 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5105-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5105-1

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